A Changed Hope
by Darius Reno
Summary: Torn from the life he knew, Naruto Uzumaki has appeared among the dunes of Tattooine. Can he, with the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi, find his place in a new galaxy far, far away? [no slash]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I'll keep this short, since you're here to read a story, not my rambling. This is a story that jumped in my head and wouldn't leave me alone. So instead of fighting it, I went with it, and now have something to write. No promises on an update schedule for this, but it is something I want to put out there and finish. Now, on to the fic.**

 **Disclaimer: None of this is actually mine. I'm just borrowing some stuff, along with some other stuff, to make more stuff. But I will gladly return it once I'm done playing with it.**

 **A Changed Hope**

 **Chapter 1**

Star Wars

Episode IV

A Changed Hope 

It is a period of civil war.

Rebel spaceships, striking

from a hidden base, have won

their first victory against

the evil Galactic Empire. 

However, a new character

is about to enter the scene.

Torn from his home, the young

NARUTO UZUMAKI falls

to Tattooine, unaware of the

changes he will bring. 

As the Empire's sinister agents

pursue Princess Leia, the young

ninja has been found by the former

Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Fate has

changed. How will affect the

Rebels fight to restore freedom

To the galaxy? ….

Pain was the first sensation Naruto became aware of. The pain of a general full body soreness that accompanied a tough fight, as well as a strong, lingering pain just below his right shoulder. As his mind struggled to figure out why he hurt his senses caught up with the rest of him, and he heard a sharp whistling noise. It was a noise he had not heard before, and so he opened his eyes to figure out what was going on.

Most people, when faced with what Naruto saw, would freak out and focus on the fact they were several hundred feet above the ground and rapidly approaching it. Naruto, on the other hand, who was not the sharpest kunai in the holster, took one look around, and had exactly one, slightly delirious thought:

 _"How the hell did I end up in Suna?"_

Then the adrenaline kicked in and he then promptly panicked, blasted through several sand dunes, then bounced and skidded along the surface of the desert before he slammed into a small protrusion of rocks and was once again rendered unconscious.

Later

Groaning, and feeling a powerful throbbing in his head, Naruto Uzumaki woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. He tried to call out for anyone, but a shallow gasping came out instead. As he sat up, a cool glass of water was placed in his hands. He quickly drank it down, coughing as he drank too fast.

"Easy, son. You should rest after spending so long out in the Dune Sea."

Getting his breath back under control, Naruto looked over to the man that had spoken to him.

He was an old man, wearing a cream colored tunic, with grey hair and a beard that was equally grey. Both were trimmed short, and showed signs of having been darker in his youth. He had many wrinkles on his face, and his skin was weathered from living in a desert. There was both confidence and kindness in his gaze, and it reminded Naruto of the Third Hokage. Pushing away the sadness those memories brought up, Naruto squinted his eyes shut and gave a huge smile to the old man.

"Heh, thanks for helping me out, old man. But what is the Dune Sea? I was at…" Naruto's smile faded as his most recent memories came back, "I…was…at the Valley of the End… f-fighting…Sasuke!" Naruto looked around frantically, "Old man! Did you see Sasuke?"

The old man shook his head, "I'm afraid the only thing I found was you, young one. Whoever this Sasuke is, there were no signs of him where I found you."

Naruto quickly leapt off the bed, and stumbled as the room began swim before him, "I've…I need to go…Sasuke can't leave us…I promised Sakura…I…" Fumbling towards a door, Naruto fell over, but was caught by the old man.

"I'm afraid you're not going anywhere. You're still suffering from being in the sun all day, and the Junland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly, especially at night." He maneuvered Naruto back onto the bed and placed a thin blanket over him. Pouring Naruto more water, he placed the glass in his hands, "Now, why don't you tell me who you are, and how you came to rest in an outcropping of rocks."

Eyes closed in an effort to stop the room from spinning, Naruto sipped at his water as he told his tale, "I don't know how I got there, everything's kinda hazy in my head. You said something about a desert, but I was fighting Sasuke under a waterfall...the one at the Valley of the End… I remember being angry. Angry that Sasuke was abandoning us…leaving Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, and me. I attacked him with my Rasengan, and he used his Chidori on me. Then everything turned…weird…" Naruto had a far off look on his face.

"Weird?" the old man asked while quirking his eyebrow.

"I don't know…it's just…everything was strange…it felt tight all around me…like the feeling I get when I drink old milk, but outside…" Naruto grew quiet again, before lightly shaking himself and getting back to his story, "then all I can remember is crashing into sand, then waking up here." He turned to the old man with a smile on his face, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage! Believe it!"

The old man smiled, "With an attitude like that, I don't doubt it at all, although I am unsure as to what a 'Hokage' is."

Naruto gave a funny look to the old man, somewhere between confusion and indignation, "How can you not know what the Hokage is? He's the leader of our village, and the strongest ninja too. I thought everybody knew that. I thought everybody in Suna knew about Konoha. I mean, come on! You guys attacked us!"

"I'm afraid, young one, that there's a great deal in your story that I don't understand." Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder the old man calmed down the tirade building in the young ninja, "However, I do believe you. Tomorrow we need to talk about this some more, but for now you need your rest. You've had a difficult day, and, from the sounds of it, an even more difficult time before that. There will be time enough later to talk. Now rest."

Naruto felt a wave of fatigue rush through him. With heavy eyes he laid down, but managed to get out one more question, "Hey, old man, who are you?"

The old man reached out and gently ruffled Naruto's hair, "My name is Ben Kenobi." He smiled gently as Naruto succumbed to sleep. "Sleep well, young Naruto. I sense your life has gone through a great change. Rest while you can."

 **A.N. : Well, that's it for now. More is coming, I'm not going to hold chapters hostage for reviews, but I still would really appreciate feedback.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: None of this is actually mine. I'm just borrowing some stuff, along with some other stuff, to make more stuff. But I will gladly return it once I'm done playing with it.**

 **A Changed Hope**

 **Chapter 2**

Naruto sat upon the roof of Ben Kenobi's house, and looked out towards the dual sunset over the Dune Sea. It had been several days since his awakening, and while he didn't necessarily _accept_ the situation, he was willing to admit he was in way over his head.

 **One-Week Ago**

For a short time Naruto refused to believe he was anywhere but somewhere in the deserts of Suna, and had demanded that old man Kenobi take him out to where he was found. Ben humored his request, but warned Naruto that he may not like the answers he would find. Aside from the rocks with a head shaped crack in them, the desert had already swallowed any signs that life had been there before, and after several hours of Naruto shouting Sasuke's name with no response, Naruto began to lose hope that he actually knew where he was.

But it was the revelation the next day that proved to Naruto he wasn't in the Elemental Nations anymore.

Sensing Naruto's disbelief of the situation, and having some experience with stubborn children, Ben offered to show Naruto the nearby town of Mos Espa. He told Naruto it would take a day's journey across the desert, but Naruto surprised Ben with how quickly he could move and for how long he could keep it up.

Naruto was equally surprised that an old man like Ben could keep up with a running shinobi. Naruto knew he wasn't the fastest ninja ever, that title being reserved for the fourth Hokage, but he thought it'd be easy to outrun an old man. Instead Ben surprised him by keeping up a fast pace and encouraging Naruto to run faster.

When they arrived Ben directed Naruto to a small outcropping over looking the small town and told him to look. Naruto, quietly listening for once, looked out over the small town.

It didn't seem to busy, but it was nearing the hottest part of the day. But what caught his eye was a domed building on the outskirts of town. The roof was retracting, and even as far away as he was, Naruto could still hear a sharp, mechanical whine coming from inside. Before he could as Kenobi what the sound was, he saw it.

A large, silver disk rose out of the building. Hovering, the strange thing rotated, and with a flare of blue-white light from it' rear edge, ascended quickly into the sky, disappearing within seconds. Naruto stared, having seen nothing like it in his entire life. A hollow feeling entered his gut and his throat tightened as he turned back to Ben.

"Old man, what was that?"

Stepping up beside Naruto, Ben looked over the town. A look of nostalgia crossed his face before he answered Naruto, "I believe that particular vessel was a Corellian YT-1300 transport."

"Corellian? Why Tee? Hey! Start speaking sense old man, what the hell just happened?" Naruto stomped towards Kenobi while pointing angrily towards where the ship had taken off, "That's impossible! Nobody knows how to fly! Everyone knows no ninjas ever figured out a flying jutsu."

"Tell me, young Naruto," Ben answered calmly, "what was the most advanced technology you remember seeing before?"

Caught off guard, Naruto blinked, before yelling back, "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Please, just answer the question."

Frowning, Naruto thought back to Konoha, "I guess the coolest thing I saw was the radios we used while catching that damn cat."

Raising an eyebrow at the description, Kenobi brushed it aside with his reply, "And what you saw before you, young one, was a transport, destined for another planet."

"W-what?!"

"Indeed. By now it will be outside the gravity of this planet, and will have made the jump to light speed. Right now you stand on a planet called Tattooine, on the outer rim of the galaxy," he gained a far off look in his eyes, "yet still within the clutches of the Empire." He gave Naruto a sympathetic look, and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I know this is distressing, but I suspect whatever life you lived before is over. Now come, we must be off. There is much I need to teach you."

Cocking his head to the side, Naruto gave Kenobi a weird look, "Teach me? Do you know some cool jutsu?"

Ben smiled, and began walking away, "I'm afraid I don't know any of these 'jutsu' you keep mentioning, but if you are to live here now, you need to learn of the galaxy you are now part of. It just so happens I was quite traveled in my younger days, and it seems that living the life of a hermit has given me an abundance of free time. Time that will be used to educate you. Now come, I'm curious if we can make a better time back to my home."

Naruto had been worried when Ben said he would educate him. He hated school and didn't want to sit around learning more stuff that wasn't cool. But Ben proved to be a patient teacher, and was willing to answer any question Naruto came up with. And Naruto surprised himself, as well. With a willing and patient instructor, it turned out he wasn't as terrible student as he thought he was.

The first thing they covered was language. While they obviously shared a spoken language, the writing was completely different. However it reminded Naruto of the ciphers they learned in the academy, and he was able to get through it. Ben assured him that with time they would come naturally to him, and suggested he read more to practice. Naruto _really_ didn't like this idea, but, as Ben said, they had a lot of free time.

When it came to other planets, Naruto was not as surprised to learn of other species as Ben thought he would be. When he asked why Naruto's eyes lit up before he ran outside, weaving his hands together and slamming them down while yelling, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto looked on in anticipation as the smoke cleared away. There was nothing there.

Growling in frustration, Naruto did the technique again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

No matter how much chakra he put into it, the results were the same every time. Feeling drained and more alone than ever, Naruto sank to the ground, his shoulders shaking with repressed emotion. Ben kneeled next to him, and placed his arm across Naruto's shoulders. This compassion, that many would consider natural to give, was so much more than Naruto ever received back home, and it broke through his mask.

He cried. He cried for his lost home.

For his friends he would never see again.

For Tsunade-baachan, the first woman ever to make him wonder if this is what having a mother was like.

For Sasuke, lost to who knows where, probably with Orochimaru.

And he wept for himself, for his loss, and all the other tears he wouldn't shed before.

Later, he could never remember how he spent there, crying. But he would always remember standing up and drying his eyes off, before turning to Ben Kenobi with a determined look in his eyes.

"Please, teach me, Kenobi-sensei. I need help, and you're the only one I know."

Kenobi stood up, and reached out, ruffling Naruto's hair while smiling gently at him, "I already told you I would help you Naruto, and I sense we will have some time here, before you are ready to go out into a bigger world. I promise you, I will do my best to prepare you for it. Now come inside, you've had a busy day. Tomorrow you can help me set up an old moisture vaporator I have, and get you started and learning how things work."

 **And that's a wrap for now. One more time skip to go before we finally catch up to the canon events of Star Wars. And before anybody says anything, I know the Sora-nins can kind of fly, as well as the ice-nin in the Land of Snow. But Naruto sure doesn't, he couldn't even pronounce chakra correctly out of the academy, much less know anything from his history classes.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Believe it or not, nothing but the vaguest idea of what is to follow is mine. Even if I used the most basic of Rocket logic (if I want it more than the other guy, then it's mine!) it wouldn't be mine, as I'd have two unreasonably large fandoms to contend with. But enjoy the story anyways!**

 **A Changed Hope**

 **Chapter 3**

Naruto once again sat upon the roof of Kenobi-sensei's house, and looked out across the Dune Sea. Two years had passed since his arrival on Tattooine, and much had changed about him. Many of his former comrades would find it difficult to compare the young man before them to the obnoxious youth of the past.

Over time, Naruto had grown several inches, and was no longer embarrassingly short compared to his peers. Puberty, exercise in the harsh sands, and a proper diet had helped a lot, although he still despaired over the galaxy's apparent lack of ramen. His hair was as blond as ever, and still short, and all the easier to keep sand out of for its short length. But even his impressive healing factor could not deter the harsh sands from having their way with any exposed skin.

While he still wore his hitai-ate, it was all that remained of his old uniform. Between the environment and his growth it no longer fit and had been long ago cut apart into much more useful scraps. He had attached a pair of flip-goggles to the bottom of the metal plate, and had the top metal enlarged, like Jiraiya's, but without the horns. The rest of his clothing was much like what other humans on Tattooine wore: off white trousers and shirt, sturdy boots, and a utility belt. Over that he wore a loose, tan poncho, preferring that over the robes favored by Ben Kenobi.

On the belt were several pouches that contained kunai. While Sasuke had stolen his shuriken during their fight, Naruto had managed to fall to Tattooine with a few kunai still in his possession. And even on this desert planet the scrap metal was of higher quality than anything back in Konoha. It was a simple matter to gather several liters of water from the moisture vaporator over a few weeks and trade them for several bundles of throwing knives.

On his thigh, where his kunai holster used to sit, was a small blaster. While Kenobi didn't like them, he admitted it was better that Naruto learn how to use them safely quickly, as a child with knives, even a talented one, would be at a severe disadvantage if a fight ever broke out around them. And bar fights on Tattooine may as well be an hourly event.

Even his personality had changed as much as his wardrobe. While still optimistic and loud around those he was comfortable with, Naruto had learned how to hold his tongue and think. After getting in several arguments with merchants, he finally learned his lesson when one pulled a blaster on him. Kenobi had managed to talk the angered Dug down, but it left an impression on Naruto. It was one thing to be petrified in front of a murderous psycho with a huge sword that wants to kill you because he can see you, but that was expected in the ninja world, it was part of the job description. It was completely different when a completely average person pulled a lethal weapon on you. Not that it stopped him from sneaking back a few nights later and painting his stall a truly nausea inducing pattern of pink and orange.

Over the two years his skill had improved as well. Once he showed Kenobi his abilities, he worked them into the lessons he was already teaching Naruto. Aside from basic history and galactic geography than everyone knew, he also taught Naruto the basic skills he had needed to live alone. Household skills, basic mechanical skills, and how to understand the land, so he couldn't get lost in the endless desert. He also taught Naruto some of the hand-to-hand skills he had learned over the years, and helped to refine what the boy already knew. After he understood that Naruto's jutsu, while limited in number, were largely governed by the boy's chakra and discipline, he insisted that Naruto continue to practice them, even if he thought they were mastered. And it was Kenobi that discovered, through the hand-to-hand training, that Naruto's shadow clones gave their memories to Naruto upon their destruction. While he allowed their use in physical training, he refused allowing Naruto to clone-study inside, mainly because one Naruto was more than enough.

He also taught Naruto the basics of meditation, hoping it would help curb the boy's seemingly endless energy levels. It was almost a year into Naruto's forced exile to Tattooine that Naruto had a breakthrough in his meditation.

 ***\FLASHBACK/** *****

Naruto sat cross-legged in a small depression of rock near where he liked to practice his jutsu. He picked this spot after he learned how terrible of a sunburn one could get sitting still under two suns for a short time, not to mention how long he might sit there once he really learned how to meditate. He didn't really like it, but it wasn't so bad to do after a hard work out fighting multiple copies of yourself.

As he sat there ignoring the desert and thinking about not-thinking, Naruto successfully failed to notice that he was meditating correctly. And as such continued to notice nothing changing around him until a powerful voice grabbed his attention and wouldn't let go.

 **"Naruto…"**

Startled back into awareness, Naruto jumped to his feet, only to shout and fall backwards into shallow water when he came eye-to-giant-eye with the Kyubi.

 **"It has been quite some time since your last visit, my jailor. Are you here to demand more of my chakra? Or perhaps you need something else from me? Remove the seal and anything you want will be yours."** A row of sharp teeth, each as large as Naruto himself, appeared in a sadistic grin, **"I even promise a swift and painless death for you, a real bargain."**

Shaking his head clear, Naruto stood up and shouted back, "Stupid fox, you think I'd listen to you?! Besides, I'm sure this is all your fault!"

The appearance of faux-amusement disappeared from the Kyubi's face, **"And what would be my fault, little human?"**

Naruto's anger grew as he ranted towards the kitsune, "All of this! Being trapped on this weird desert planet. Forced out of my home! There's no way I'll ever see my friends again! I'll never be Hokage! I'll-"

His rant was quickly overpowered from a blast of killing-intent from the Kyubi, **"SILENCE! NOW, EXPLAIN YOURSELF! What do you mean 'weird desert _planet'_? Only one being had the ability to change realms…and you are not that being. Speak, before I tire of your presence."**

So Naruto explained. He told the demon-fox about his fight with Sasuke at the Valley of the End. He told him how he was found in the desert and rescued by Ben Kenobi and his revelation of where he was when he saw the transport leaving a spaceport. As he began to explain how he ended up here from meditating he stopped as the Kyubi began to chuckle.

 **"Silly little ninja. YOU are the one who drew on my power. I don't make you angry, my chakra _enhances_ what's already there" ** He grinned darkly, **"And you have much anger in yourself, Naruto. But my chakra enhances what is already there. And you focused it into your little ball technique. All chakra has an effect on reality, and you had a _condensed, enhanced, warping sphere of power_. Normally, I'm sure that would just be better at destroying things, but then you rammed it into a chunk of expertly molded elemental chakra, perverted by whatever that twisted snake man added to the Uchiha's own chakra. And what ever occurred at that point of contact, nature didn't like it. And do you know what happens to things nature doesn't like?"**

Dumbly, Naruto shook his head.

 **"IT REMOVES THEM!"** The Kyubi couldn't contain itself and started cackling, **"FOOL! It's all thanks to you and the idiot Uchiha that you will never see your home again…I wonder…"**

"What?"

 **"Boy, you said you were unable to summon anything from the Toad Clan, correct?"**

Naruto blinked, "Um, yeah. Why?"

 **"Try once more, and this time I will willingly feed my chakra into the jutsu."**

Naruto blinked, and found himself back in the desert. He debated with himself on weather or not he should give it a try, but decided that if the fox was going to try anything with his summoning jutsu it would've done that already. Forming the ram seal he focused his chakra, and almost lost his concentration when the Kyubi's red chakra surged along with his own, tinting the world around him red.

Trying to not get his hope up, Naruto carefully formed the seals to the summoning jutsu, all while dredging up as much power as he could. With a shout he cast the jutsu, and waited with baited breath for the denser than usual smoke to clear. A gust of wind blew through, and he pushed down the disappointment of seeing nothing. The summoning seals had been burned into the sand, but there was nothing in them.

 ** _"I see…"_**

Naruto jumped, "Who's there?"

 ** _"Idiot, it's me."_**

"Kyubi? What did you do?"

 ** _"Nothing. It's a simple matter for me to speak to you in this manner."_**

"Then why haven't you?"

 ** _"BECAUSE I HATE YOU! But that's not important, just a fact. What is important is that you have not just shifted to a different planet. You've left our realm completely. If you were anywhere in our realm there should have been something in that summoning circle just now. Space-Time techniques like your summoning are not limited by physical distance."_**

"So what does that mean?"

 ** _"That means unless you're a master of fuinjutsu on such a level as to make your Yondaime look like a rank amateur, give up any hope you had left of returning to our home. Even if you recreated what sent you here, you have no way of aiming that technique. Heh. I suppose we're lucky, in that you appeared somewhere you were capable of living."_**

"So what now?"

He _felt_ the Kyubi snort, **_"So don't die. As you pointed out, if you die, I die, and thanks to your accursed Yondaime's seal, it'll stick. Other than that I couldn't care less. Do what ever you want. Destroy a city, or mate with women, or whatever it is you humans do to pass time."_**

Naruto grinned, "Wait, if you don't want me to die, help me. Teach me, or let me use your chakra without going crazy!"

 ** _"Fool, I told you, that was not my anger, it was yours. To master my chakra, you must master yourself. And why would I know any techniques? I don't need them, those are crutches for humans. The only_ technique _I've seen that is somewhat respectable is that Rasengan. Now stop bothering me, I'm going back to sleep."_**

 ***\END FLASHBACK/** *****

Naruto sighed in continued annoyance. He tried many times over the past year to get more out of the Kyubi, but it wasn't talking. Anytime he did talk to it, as soon as he asked what "mastering himself" meant, the Tailed Beast immediately clammed up, and sometimes even banished himself from wherever it was they talked.

Even Kenobi wasn't very helpful there. When Naruto asked about it all he said was that meditation would help him center himself and he had to learn to let go of his emotions. Unfortunately, all the techniques he knew for himself wouldn't work for Naruto. When Naruto pressed him further, Kenobi deflected by asking _why_ Naruto wanted to know those techniques. Not wanting to reveal his secret yet, Naruto backed off. He knew that Kenobi was aware he was hiding something, but on that same merit, Naruto knew there was something off about Kenobi.

No old man, no matter how good of shape he was in, should be able to keep up with a running shinobi for several hours. Except maybe Lee's sensei, but that guy was crazy anyways. And everybody knows crazy people are crazy strong, right? Besides, he kept saying he traveled a lot, but never why he traveled so much. But Naruto didn't want to share his secret, so he wasn't going to push for Ben's.

As if thinking of him conjured him, Ben Kenobi exited his house and gained Naruto's attention, "Naruto! I have something I need to take care of. I'll be back in a few hours, and if everything goes well I'll have a guest with me."

Naruto hopped off the roof and landed next to Kenobi, stretching out before resting with both hands behind his head, "You need any help, old man?"

Ignoring Naruto's irreverent nickname for himself with long practice, Kenobi answered, "No, I'll be fin on my own, for now. But when I return I suspect you'll have some questions for me. It's time I told you of my past."

"Really?"

"Yes. I've been hiding here for a long time. But that time is almost up. I sense the Force is moving me towards action once again."

Confused, Naruto cocked his head to the side, "The Force? Is that a god?"

Ben laughed, "No, although to many it would appear as such. But no more time for questions. I must be off," he reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair, "but I will return. May the Force be with you." With that the old man turned, and moved off towards the desert, not running, but still moving with the speed of someone with important things to do.

Naruto watching him leave, and muttered to himself, "Why do I have the feeling this 'Force' just make everything more complicated?"

 **A.N.: And that's a wrap! Cut! Print! Thanks, to those of you already following me, for your patience in waiting for this chapter. I know we're not in any Star Wars action yet, but it's coming. Landing in a desert won't change much in canon, yet, but it's coming. Little things first.**

 **And to answer a few comments/concerns: Naruto is not replacing Luke Skywalker. I'm just adding him to the group. After all, Naruto does _not_ have the Force. He has chakra, a completely different power. And I know my chapters are a little short, but they will get longer and improve with time, I'm still scraping the rust off my skills :( **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own neither Star Wars nor Naruto. Those belong to others more powerful than myself. Although I wouldn't say to some of their extra royalty money, I'm sure they've got enough!**

 **A.N. : After a far, far too long hiatus, I'm back! So yeah, I've had a crazy previous year, I switched jobs, am still job hunting, want to move out of state, and oh yeah...I'M A DAD! Two beautiful twin daughters. So yeah, that's my excuse for not posting anything in a long time. Now...onwards!**

 **A Changed Hope**

 **Chapter 4**

Naruto sighed for what felt like the millionth time as he sat in a rapidly sinking shady spot next to Kenobi's hut. Today felt hotter than normal on Tatooine, which is why he abandoned his usual lazy spot on top of the building for one off to the side. The only problem is that it didn't give him the great view of the Dune Sea like the roof did.

Idly, he pulled a piece of japor ivory wood from one of his pockets and continued carving a design into it. He learned about the good luck charm during one of his forays into Mos Espa. He was surprised to find any sort of plant could grow on the desert world, and he admired the tenacious little rock tree. He saved an entire month's worth of water payments just to afford buying a fifteen centimeter length of wood. Since then he'd been carefully rationing it, learning to carve deliberately on the expensive plant.

The first piece he'd carved had been simple, reproducing the Uzumaki spiral from the shoulder patch on his old jacket. When it was done he'd attached it to his kunai holster.

The second was a little more complex, with Naruto doing his best to replicate the symbol of Konoha from his hitai-ate. He thought it looked nice enough, and had given it to Kenobi-sensei as a gift. Smiling, the old man had squirreled it away somewhere with his other small mementos.

Currently, he was working on a new one, with a new symbol, the old one used by the Jedi. Over the past couple of years Kenobi had been doing his best to educate Naruto on the history of the Empire, formerly known as the Galactic Republic. While a lot of it was boring, even the stuff leading up to the Clone Wars, what really caught Naruto's attention was the stories of the Jedi Knights. With their lightsabers, mysterious powers, and heroic deeds, they were like hero shinobi to him! He was pretty disappointed to learn they had been wiped out by the Empire.

Eventually, the high pitched whine of a speeder broke through Naruto's musings and he sat up, putting his work away. Dusting himself off he stepped into the sun and watched as Kenobi-sensei hopped out of a beat up looking speeder being piloted by a young, blond haired man. Strapped to the back were a pair of beat up looking droids, one gold and human looking, and muttering to itself about being damaged beyond repair, the other looking like a blue and silver rolling trash can, beeping and twittering at the other one. Seeing the young man struggle to easily lift the gold one off the speeder, Naruto quickly moved over and helped him lift it. After setting the muttering droid on its feet he turned to the newcomer and held out his hand.

"Hi there! Let me give you hand with that. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, who are you?"

Gratefully accepting the help the young man got the droid on its feet, and told it to head inside. Turning to Naruto he briefly shook hands with him, "I'm Luke Skywalker. These are my droids," he said, gesturing to each in turn, "C-3P0, and the astromech is R2-D2."

The gold droid looked over, "A pleasure to meet you, sir. I am C-3P0, human-cyborg relations, and this is my counterpart, R2-D2. Or it would be, if I wasn't in such a sorry state. I can't see much use for a broken protocol droid."

An admonishing blat, followed by a series of tweets and whistles came from the little droid.

A small smile on his face, Kenobi called everyone's attention, "I'm glad to see everyone getting along, but perhaps we should move this discussion inside. We have much to discuss, and repairs to be made."

After everyone had moved inside and gotten comfortable in the main seating area, Kenobi turned to Naruto, "I must apologize, Naruto. I've kept a secret from you for a long time."

Naruto waved him off, "It's okay, old man. I understand not wanting to talk about something personal."

"Thank you, Naruto, but these are things you must hear. It is soon time for you to make your own decision. My true name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I was a Jedi of the Republic. I served in the Clone Wars alongside another Jedi," he turned to look at Luke, "Anakin Skywalker, your father."

Luke laughed in disbelief, "No, my father didn't fight in the wars, he was a navigator on a spice freighter."

"That's what your uncle told you. He didn't hold with your father's ideals. He thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved."

Naruto leaned forward, "Woah, old man, you fought in the Clone Wars?"

Obi-Wan smiled, "Yes, I was once a Jedi knight, the same as Luke's father."

Luke looked down, "I wish I'd known him…"

Reminiscing, Obi-Wan looked off into the distance, "He was the best star-pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior," He gave a knowing smirk to Luke, "I understand you've become quite the pilot yourself. And he was a good friend. Which reminds me.." With that he moved over to an old chest and began rummaging through it, leaving Naruto and Luke, along with the partially repaired C-3P0, with their thoughts. After asking permission, C-3P0 powered down.

Naruto reached out and gently punched Luke on the shoulder, "Hey, don't worry about it! I'm an orphan, too! I didn't have anyone growing up, other than the old man Hokage, but he was super busy running my village, so he didn't have much time for me. You've still got your own dreams, right?"

Frowning, Luke looked to Naruto, "I guess. Right now I just want to leave home and get off this rock. I want to apply to the Academy, but every year my uncle says he needs more help on the farm. Most of my friends have already left."

"That sucks. But hey, when I joined my academy I finally made some friends. You will too, I'm sure of it!"

The closing of Obi-Wan's trunk grabbed their attention. He came back holding a small, metal cylinder, and held it out to Luke, "Your father wanted you have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damned-fool idealistic crusade like your father did."

Luke stood up and took the item, "What is it?"

"It is your father's lightsaber."

With a snap-hiss a blue blade extended from the hilt. Both Luke and Naruto stood transfixed and Luke gave it an experimental swing, hearing it hum as he shifted it.

"It is the weapon of a Jedi Knight," Obi-Wan explained, "It's not a clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age."

Naruto was almost as entranced by the blade as Luke. But while it was awesome, it wasn't personal for him. He knew if he had anything of his father's he'd hold on to it as tightly as he could.

Slipping into the role of teacher, again, Obi-Wan told them about the Jedi, not from a historical view, like the files Naruto had been studying, but from the point of view of someone who'd been there. He told them how the Jedi were guardians of peace for over a thousand generations. He told them how his student, Darth Vader, betrayed and murdered Luke's father, as well as hunting down and destroying any hint of the Jedi that survived the purge of the Clone Troopers. At first both Naruto and Luke asked questions about the Clone Wars and listened raptly to the old war stories, but they quickly lost interest when Obi-Wan began talking about the trade negotiations and treaties that sparked the initial skirmishes. Smiling ruefully at once again teaching reluctant younglings, Obi stood and moved over to the R2 unit.

"Now, let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my little friend. And where you come from."

With a flicker of blue light, a hologram appeared on the table between them. Naruto moved in for a closer look, and saw a beautiful woman in a white robe and hood.

"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring to to Alderaan has failed.

I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of the R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You mustsee this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour.

Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope," the image faded away.

Luke leaned back, awestruck that he had a droid that belonged to a princess. Naruto was similarly star struck, he saw an actual princess! Sort of. It still counts as far as he's concerned.

Obi-Wan turned to Luke, "You must learn the ways of the Force, if you are to come with me to Alderaan."

Before Luke could reply Naruto jumped up, waving his arms for attention, "Hey, old man! What about me? Can you teach me the Force too! I'll be the best Jedi! Believe it!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Obi-Wan chuckle, "but I can not teach you the ways of the Force. In our time together I have checked to see if you have any Jedi potential, but I'm afraid you lack the necessary talents to be a Jedi."

"Hold it," said Luke, "I'm not going to Alderaan, I need to go home, I'm late enough as it is."

Naruto looked agape at Luke, "What!? A princess, _an actual princess_ , needs your help and you want to stay? Or do you want to go to the academy so bad you'll let the Empire get her?"

"I can't get involved, I've got work to do! And it's not like I like Empire, I hate it, but there's nothing I can do about it," he looked out a window, "It's so far from here."

Obi-Wan placed a calming hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Calm down, you two." He looked to Luke, "And that attitude is what I expect to hear from your uncle."

Luke scoffed, "My uncle! How am I going to explain this?" He stared off in thought, "Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. From there you can get a transport of Mos Eisley or wherever you're going."

As Luke moved to get the droids packed into the speeder Naruto went to stop him. Obi-Wan's hand on his shoulder prevented him from chasing the young moisture farmer and brought his attention back to the old Jedi, "It's not your place to make his decision for him, Naruto."

Naruto looked after Luke, "I know, but...how can he just walk away from her?"

"He has lived a relatively comfortable life with a family that cares for him. It's hard to leave that behind, especially when he has responsibilities. He must do what he feels is right."

Naruto sighed, "I get it, but I don't like." He turned to face Obi-Wan, meeting his eyes, "Don't worry, old man! I'll go with you! With Naruto Uzumaki around the Empire won't know what hit it!"

"I don't doubt it, Naruto," Obi-Wan laughed, "I do believe the Force is with us."


End file.
